Suwanee, GA Short-Term Rentals: Registration Rules (2026)

Suwanee has not adopted a stand-alone short-term rental ordinance in the Code of Ordinances published on Municode. Chapter 46 (Planning) and the city's zoning ordinance regulate residential land use without singling out STRs as a permitted or prohibited use, so Airbnb-style rentals operate under general residential and home-occupation rules. Anyone running a rental as a business inside city limits is required to apply for an Occupational Tax Certificate through the Business Services Department at 330 Town Center Avenue (770-945-8996; occupationaltax@suwanee.com) and renew it annually by March 31, with a 10% or $25 late penalty after that date. Because Suwanee charges its own hotel/motel excise tax on stays of fewer than 30 consecutive days, operators must also register with the Business Services Department to remit that tax monthly. Georgia has no statewide STR registration mandate, but the state Hotel-Motel Excise Tax statute (O.C.G.A. Sec. 48-13-50 through 51) authorizes the city's local levy and a state $5/night Hotel-Motel Fee applies. HOA covenants in Suwanee subdivisions frequently restrict rentals shorter than 30 days even when the city does not.